The temple of Abu Simbel is an exact transferal of the architectural formOf an Egyptian inner sanctuary temple cut deep inside the rock. Sculpted into the mountain, the façade is 38 meters long and 31 high. This is framed by a convex "torus " moulding , and is surmounted by a cornice with uraei (the sacred asp) above which is carved a row of 22 seated baboons , each two and a half meters high. Below the torus moulding is a cornice engraved with dedicatory hieroglyphics, and in a niche below this in the middle of the façade is a large high – relief statue representing Ra- Harakhati with a falcon's head flanked by two – relief figures of Ramses II. Four colossal statues of Ramses II seated form the supporting columns of the façade. Even on this monumental scale they produce the true features of the monarch. They are 20 meters high and measure more than 4 from ear to ear, while the lips, measuring over a meter, express a soft, gentle smile. The pharaoh is represented with his hands resting in his lap wearing the double crown and a headdress with deep folds on either side of his face. The second statue on the left is broken and part of the head and body lie on the ground. Beside and between the legs of each colossus are other statues representing members of the royal family including a daughter (who was also his wife) Bent'anat , his mother Tuya , his wife Nefertari , his son Amenhirkhopshef, and another daughter and wife, Merytamun. On the base and along the sides of the seats are figures of African and Asiatic prisoners. A multitude of workers imprisoned by his sword "worked on the monumental façade under the orders of Pyay , head of the sculptures , as we read inside the temple. The work of the sculptures was followed by that of the painters for, at the time of Ramses, the temple was most probably richly painted and decorated
The interior
On passing to the interior, the shadowy light emphasizes the mysterious and evocative atmosphere. The "pronaos" is a vast rectangular hall 18 meters long and 16.70 wide. This is flanked by eight Osiris pillars ten meters tall arranged in two rows, representing Osiris with the features of Ramses. The colossi on the left wear the white crown of Upper Egypt, those on the right, the "pschent" or double crown. Their arms, crossed over their chests, hold the scepter and flail. Decorating the roof of the central nave is the great vulture of the goddess Nekhbet, protrectress of Upper Egypt, while the aisles on either side are painted with stars.
Sanctuary and the miracle of the sun
Sixty – five meters from the entrance, deep in the heart of the mountain, is a sanctuary, the most intimate and secret part of the temple, a small room four meters by seven. Here sits the statue of the deified Ramses II together with the triad of "Ptah", "Amoun-Ra" and "Harmakhis".
It was obvious ever since discovery in the 19th century that nothing in this temple was left to chance and that it was built according to a very precise logic and pre-established plan.
Francois Champollion was the first of several scholars to note what has become known as the "miracle of the sun".
"Abu Simbel" was built along a pre- determined axis: twice a year, corresponding to the equinoxes, the rising sun penetrates the heart of the mountain and illuminates the statues in the sanctuary. The first rays of the sun follow the axis of the temple precisely, crossing its entire length and gradually flooding the statues of "Amon", "Harmakhis" and the pharaoh in light. It takes about twenty minutes for the light to pass, yet remarkably Ptah is never struck by the sun's rays. Ptah is, in fact, the god of darkness and the dead.
